Administrators Eric Hall Posted October 19, 2015 Author Administrators My Rides (3) Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Trona Wildrose was closed for months to cars and the CHP and park police would patrol it to keep them off but we'd just go around and they'd waive at us. That Lower Wildrose has been "closed" for about two years now but we use it every time we go there. We will watch our speed and be mindful of washouts. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Hunt Posted October 20, 2015 My Ride Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 I think this is the route I'm taking down if anyone wants to meet-up on the way. http://chrshnt.com/pdx-death-valley 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomek S Posted October 20, 2015 My Ride Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 We have still two weeks to go so most likely if there are no more storms some road will get opened but this is as of today: Current Road Conditions 10/20/15 Expect flood damage throughout Death Valley. Expect debris and damage on ALL ROADS. Expect delays due to damage, debris, standing water, and workers in roadway attempting to clear road. ALL BACKCOUNTRY ROADS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED DAMAGED. Expect temporary closures. Death Valley Roads•Badwater Road..........CLOSED; no access to side roads•Big Pine Road..........CLOSED to through traffic . •Cottonwood /Marble.......CLOSED due to flood damage•Dante's View Road.......Open•Daylight Pass.............Open •Echo Canyon Road............CLOSED•Emigrant Canyon............Open•Greenwater Valley Rd......CLOSED due to flood damage•Lower Wildrose Rd...CLOSED to through traffic from Wildrose to Panamint Valley .•Mustard Canyon.....CLOSED due to flooding.•Salt Creek............CLOSED due to flooding.•Mosaic Canyon ............Open•Racetrack Road .........CLOSED due to flooding.•Saline Valley North............CLOSED By Inyo County. •Saline Valley South.........Open; some road damage•Scotty’s Castle Road.....CLOSED; all access closed due to severe flood damage.•Titus Canyon Road........CLOSED due to flooding.•Twenty Mule Team Cyn......CLOSED due to flooding.•Ubehebe Crater Rd.............CLOSED•Upper Wildrose Canyon........Open; 4X4 high-clearance Roads OUTSIDE Death Valley•Stateline/ Bell Vista Rd....CLOSED due to flooding•CA Hwy 127......CLOSED between Death Valley Junction and Shoshone •NV Hwy 95.........Open 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Hall Posted October 21, 2015 Author Administrators My Rides (3) Report Share Posted October 21, 2015 We have still two weeks to go so most likely if there are no more storms some road will get opened but this is as of today: Current Road Conditions 10/20/15 Expect flood damage throughout Death Valley. Expect debris and damage on ALL ROADS. Expect delays due to damage, debris, standing water, and workers in roadway attempting to clear road. ALL BACKCOUNTRY ROADS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED DAMAGED. Expect temporary closures. Death Valley Roads •Badwater Road..........CLOSED; no access to side roads •Big Pine Road..........CLOSED to through traffic . •Cottonwood /Marble.......CLOSED due to flood damage •Dante's View Road.......Open •Daylight Pass.............Open •Echo Canyon Road............CLOSED •Emigrant Canyon............Open •Greenwater Valley Rd......CLOSED due to flood damage •Lower Wildrose Rd...CLOSED to through traffic from Wildrose to Panamint Valley . •Mustard Canyon.....CLOSED due to flooding. •Salt Creek............CLOSED due to flooding. •Mosaic Canyon ............Open •Racetrack Road .........CLOSED due to flooding. •Saline Valley North............CLOSED By Inyo County. •Saline Valley South.........Open; some road damage •Scotty’s Castle Road.....CLOSED; all access closed due to severe flood damage. •Titus Canyon Road........CLOSED due to flooding. •Twenty Mule Team Cyn......CLOSED due to flooding. •Ubehebe Crater Rd.............CLOSED •Upper Wildrose Canyon........Open; 4X4 high-clearance Roads OUTSIDE Death Valley •Stateline/ Bell Vista Rd....CLOSED due to flooding •CA Hwy 127......CLOSED between Death Valley Junction and Shoshone •NV Hwy 95.........Open I think on motorcycles we'll generally be fine. We've ridden before on "closed" roads which means closed to a Prius or RV but not an off road motorcycle or Jeep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Hunt Posted October 21, 2015 My Ride Report Share Posted October 21, 2015 Here's a fun conditions report with lots of photos from last Saturday: http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/death-valley-riding-condition.912416/page-95#post-27830879 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Hall Posted October 22, 2015 Author Administrators My Rides (3) Report Share Posted October 22, 2015 Here's a fun conditions report with lots of photos from last Saturday: http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/death-valley-riding-condition.912416/page-95#post-27830879 I don't much care for AOLrider (why I created XLADV) but that is a good thread. And I concur, the burritos at the Shell station in Trona are fantastic. Their dog "Chula" barked at me but I don't blame her. She's a Chihuahua and I was dressed in my scary motorcycle man outfit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Hall Posted October 22, 2015 Author Administrators My Rides (3) Report Share Posted October 22, 2015 BTW, go back and read the rest of the thread where Lost Rider and Mike54 get into a pissing match. That's exactly why I don't care for AOLrider Also BTW, Lost Rider is a pretty cool dude. He (Finn) and his wife/girlfriend showed us "noobs" around Panamint Valley one Sunday morning a few years ago and we had a blast. If you ever see those "LOST" stickers, those are his. As far as I know, he does guided rides sometimes as well as photography. His day job is as a sound guy for concerts (I heard). Here are some photos he got of us that day... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Hall Posted October 22, 2015 Author Administrators My Rides (3) Report Share Posted October 22, 2015 Our ride that year (Mar '12) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Hall Posted October 22, 2015 Author Administrators My Rides (3) Report Share Posted October 22, 2015 Trona Pinnacles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Hall Posted October 22, 2015 Author Administrators My Rides (3) Report Share Posted October 22, 2015 DV last Dec w/Thierry and Tolga of Ride Must Go On 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Hall Posted October 22, 2015 Author Administrators My Rides (3) Report Share Posted October 22, 2015 Two years ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motochefarwi Posted October 23, 2015 My Rides (2) Report Share Posted October 23, 2015 Super stoked to go and ride guys. I'll be riding in from San Jose area. Still need to finalize route to DV. Probably riding in with Ed (he is riding in from Santa Cruz). Tent site is reserved. Doing some TLC on the bike this week end. Installing a Lithium Ion battery this week end (finally dumping the lead acid battery) Fresh oil in and tighting bolts. Last April I rode with Tony from Riverside and we met up at the Jimmy Lewis Off road riding School in Pahrump and we had a couple of days after the class and we decided to hit up Death Valley with our new found skills and put them to the test. We also hooked up with a fellow rider from Washington at the class and we rode through Titus Canyon, Artist Drive, and Rhyolite. We camped in Furnace Creek. We all had limited time as Tony had to head south, Steve back up to Washington and myself back to the bay area. Death Valley has so much to offer and the light is phenomenal. This time I'm interested in trying some new stuff. Eric-you mentioned Lippincott and I'm up for whatever! I would like to check out Racetrack, Kettle juntion etc. So many options and it will be really cool to check out the carnage from the flood and see how much it has transformed the area. From what I hear Panamint Springs is much cooler than camping in Furnace creek 🙄 Does anyone have anything they really want to check out? Bucket list of places? Any first timers to DV? Here is a bit of footage from our ride last April, enjoy! Death Valley National Park Titus Canyon 4:12:15 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Hunt Posted October 23, 2015 My Ride Report Share Posted October 23, 2015 Does anyone have anything they really want to check out? Bucket list of places? Any first timers to DV? This'll be my first time in DV. I'm taking Titus Canyon on the way in from Nevada, so that'll be the only thing I've ridden. I'm down for anything. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motochefarwi Posted October 24, 2015 My Rides (2) Report Share Posted October 24, 2015 Stop by Rhyolite on the way in. Quick loop then into Titus. You will enjoy the ride. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Hunt Posted October 25, 2015 My Ride Report Share Posted October 25, 2015 (edited) For folks that have been to Panamint Springs already, does it make sense to book the group site? Are they worth it (we'd need at least 6 people)? Or should we just book singles and take over the whole campground? Edit: It probably makes sense to just book singles. Who knows if people want to camp in a tent. I'll book mine now. Edited October 25, 2015 by Chris Hunt 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Hall Posted October 25, 2015 Author Administrators My Rides (3) Report Share Posted October 25, 2015 I'm in site 27 next to the group site. I have never reserved that one but I think we'll be fine. We'll probably have a fire in my fire pit or maybe over near one of the tent cabins if someone reserved one of those. Nice video, Arwi! I loved the Titus footage as well as the Beyond Starbucks sticker. Here's a Titus video I did a long time ago. I decided to shut the motor off and just coast through it in silence. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motochefarwi Posted October 25, 2015 My Rides (2) Report Share Posted October 25, 2015 I'm in site #36. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Hunt Posted October 26, 2015 My Ride Report Share Posted October 26, 2015 I'm in #26. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wandering beast Posted October 30, 2015 Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 add me to the list, I am currently in British Columbia but will be making my way south this sunday, probably wont catch Chris Hunt in portland but should see you all down there soon. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Hall Posted October 30, 2015 Author Administrators My Rides (3) Report Share Posted October 30, 2015 add me to the list, I am currently in British Columbia but will be making my way south this sunday, probably wont catch Chris Hunt in portland but should see you all down there soon. Awesome! I will be headed up Wednesday w/Rich. I'd say half probably showing up Thur afternoon/evening and then the rest Friday. I think Chris Hunt is showing up Wed as well. Update on registration/cost... AMA D37 is up to their eyeballs right now with planning for LAB2V so we won't have a registration link after all. I'm also thinking the costs will be more like $25 each rather than the $40 I was thinking. We bought most of the food but still have to get some odds and ends so we'll know the final cost by Tue of next week most likely. FYI, this will be at cost. There's NO profit here, so keep that in mind. This is just a buddy ride. No prizes, no fluff, no professionally led babysitting This is all volunteer and no one, including me, is assuming any liability for your safety. If you show up, you are agreeing to hold no one liable other than yourself. That said, we always help each other when someone needs it. We are doing chili Friday night and pulled pork on Sat night. We will have salad and veggies too, as well as some adult beverages. I think last year I brought 12 IPA's and a 30 pack of Coors Light. I would encourage you to buy beer at the restaurant at PSR. They have a beer collection that is LEGENDARY! They have like 16' of cooler space with just craft beers from all over the place. They'd appreciate the business too. Their breakfast is pretty good and not a bad value at $10. Their lunch and dinners get pricey; more like $30 for an entree and drink. Showers are hot. Their tap water is drinkable. They have wi-fi but it's REALLY weak. It's satellite based and when more than a few get online, you can barely get email even. Gas. Keep in mind your fuel range as gas is really spread out there. There is gas at PSR but very pricey. I tend to top off in Trona or Olancha on the way up (depending on your route). There's gas at Stovepipe Wells but it's only 89 octane ( I use it anyway when I need it). There's also gas at Furnace Creek, Shoshone, Beatty, Big Pine. Route selection. Like High Sierra, we will assemble three groups based on your ability/goals for that day into three groups: A, B and C. A will be faster and more agile riders who come because they want their ride fix; to ride some challenging terrain and not wait around all day. Please show some consideration for that and honestly assess your own abilities so we don't repeat what we had last year with "that guy." B groups will be intermediate riders and can do almost any well established track in Death Valley save a few (Lippincott, Goler, Steele Pass, etc...). The A/B tracks may in fact be the same but the A group will probably average closer to 30 mph for the day; B in the lower 20's. For example, the A group last year was supposed to do Chloride Cliffs, back side of Beatty, Titus Canyon and the Charcoal kilns. The B group could still do all that minus the Charcoal Kilns (time). An A group route this year I am considering is Hunter Mountain, Teakettle Junction, Racetrack, Lippincott, Saline Valley Hot Springs and then back. Another ambitious route for an A or Be group might be Hunter Mountain, Saline Valley through North Pass to Big Pine then south on 395 to take a drive into the Reward mine! C group might consider Ubehebe Crater to Racetrack and back with maybe Skiddoo, Agueberry Point, Charcoal Kilns thrown in on the way back. Or Furnace Creek to West Side Road then Badwater, Artists' Palette drive, 20 Mule Team Trail, maybe Dante's Peak and then back. The pavement in Death Valley National Park is second to none and you could still have the MOST awesome ride had you never even touched dirt. Artists' Palette drive near sunset is unbeatable. Due to the rains, all of that might be wishful thinking but then that's all part of the adventure, right? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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